Original Star Wars action figure prices rocket with release of The Last Jedi

Original Star Wars action figure prices rocket with release of The Last Jedi

Vintage toys from the epic movie series can sell for tens of thousands of pounds if in good condition and still in their original packaging.

Rarity value adds to the price, with a limited-edition doll of bounty hunter Boba Fett from the 1970s, still sealed in its original packaging, selling for £26,040 last year at Vectis Auctions in Teesside.

A rocket-firing version of that figurine also sold at the same auction house last year for an unexpectedly low £18,600.

Other in-demand Star Wars collectibles include the very first versions of Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi, with “double telescoping” light sabres.

Other rarities include the discontinued “small head” Han Solo, swiftly replaced for one with a larger head that looked more like actor Harrison Ford.

An R2-D2 toy dating back to the 1980 film The Empire Strikes Back and in near-mint condition has sold for £750, while a 1980 Yoda, still in its packaging, went for £320.

Other figures from the 1970s and 1980s often go on eBay for around the £70 mark.

Darren Williams, spokesman for PromotionalCodes.org.uk, which carried out the research, said anyone with a stash of 1970s toys could feel their financial force: “More than 300million Star Wars figures were sold between 1978 and 1985, so there must still be quite a lot in people’s possession.”